n.v. L. Aubry et Fils, Brut Premier Cru Champagne, Jouy-lès-Reims, France.
The beautiful latest disgorgement, with a 2021 base, of the Aubry Premier Cru Brut Champagne was a wonderful treat recently at a Champagne and Caviar event with crisp detailing, a lovely golden hue and a fine beading luxurious mousse in the glass and a distinctive dry and complex grower producer palate of orchard fruits, a subtle creaminess, hazelnut brioche, delicate florals and mineral tones. This excellent Champagne, coming from around the pedigreed Montagne de Reims area and its chalky limestone soils makes for an elegant, deep and precise expression of Champagne, as this Aubry shows. Aubry with roots as growers that go back to the late 1700s, really started showing off their own work around 1986 and are now firmly planted in a growing number of excellent producers looking to revive some of Champagne’s almost lost varietals and traditions. The Premier Cru Brut contains 31% Chardonnay, 31% Pinot Noir and 31% Meunier, the classics, plus 7% Arbanne, Petit Meslier and Fromenteau, all rare historic Champagne grapes. The Meunier and Chardonnay give a nice rounded texture and there’s plenty of energy (brisk acidity) to give the wine a fabulous vitality, it is a good choice for celebrations, but best with food, where it really shines.
I’ve personally been a fan, as a wine professional and personal buyer of Aubry as a Champagne lover since the early 2000s and have followed this Champagne house over the last 25 years or so with a keen interest and never been let down by a bottle. I really enjoyed this Brut cuvée, which was truly excellent, especially out of magnum, it performed actually better than than some high profile and extremely pricy bubbles, including a magnum of 2008 Grand Dame! I first got introduced to Aubry by Champagne and Riesling guru Terry Theise and as a wine buyer, always tried to keep in on the stock list wherever I was working, but as mentioned, even when it wasn’t in, I would search it out for myself. Aubry has brought back to life an interesting series of grapes, these include Enfumé, l’Arbane and le Petit Meslier, as well as Fromenteau and Pinot Gris, which will play roles in their wines, adding to the unique character and distinction here. For this Premier Cru Brut, Aubry used 70% 2021 and 30% reserve wine dating back to 1998, from grapes parcels from vines in Jouy-lès-Reims 1er Cru, Villedommange 1er Cru, Pargny-lès-Reims 1er Cru and Coulommes-la-Montagne 1er Cru. Fermented and aged mainly in stainless steel, with a small portion of Chardonnay seeing a touch of used oak, the Aubry got a full 18 plus months on the yeast and saw a low 4G/L dosage, hence the dry nature here. I, if you haven’t guessed already, very much recommend Aubry to those who might not have had it.
($52 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive